The present invention relates generally to caps for attachment to containers, such as, for example, pliable plactic bottles and the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to container caps of the "valve-acting" variety in which a top member can be displaced out of its closed position relative to a base member of cylindrical configuration that can be threadedly fastened to a threaded open end of a container.
Such top members of conventional design often have a mushroom-like configuration to facilitate their being grasped by the thumb and forefinger of a user and "pulled" into an open condition so that fluid can be squeezed or pured therethrough from the container.
Examples of conventional mushroom-like cap tops are disclosed in the following U.S. patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,439,842 (Apr. 22, 1969)
U.S. Pat. No. 3,227,332 (Jan. 4, 1966)
U.S. Pat. No. 3,201,013 (Aug. 17, 1965)
Examples of related "valve-acting" container caps are disclosed in the following U.S. patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,020,981 (May 3, 1977)
U.S. Pat. No. 3,221,952 (Dec. 7, 1965)
It has been determined, however, that such "valve-acting" container caps of the conventional, mushroon-like, variety or otherwise conventional, are not necessarily most desireable. This is because they are of relatively small size and are often difficult to grasp effectively to be "pulled" into an open condition. The present invention, on the other hand, seeks to obviate the need ever to "pull" the "valve-acting" cap top into an open condition or otherwise.